St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-25


1884 member of the
liz chamber of commerce
CARNIyaI, of this city publicly rec
commended and urged, in
the chamber, as a business proposition,
the erection of an ice palace here and
winter carnival, he was good-naturedly,
but none the less heartily, laughed at.
1t was all well enough for dull Can
adam city to try to relieve its mOntony
in this way, or fer one of our Southern
cities to indulge in carnival displays, but
for st. Paul to give itself up to 'child's
play" of this kind was quite out of the
question. Let Montreal have its lee
palace, New Orleans its Mardi Gras dis
plays, and st. Louis its carnival. st.
Paul ''meant business" and so again we
settled down to work, and the winter
of 1854 was as colorless as before.
1t was not until the fall of 1885 that
really earnest movement was made to
secure the practical realization OF what
more than one of US had before desired,
and to the present president of the Car
niyal association is largely due the Or
ganiZation of the association which had
the courage and faith necessary to carry
the project through to full and complete
success.
The proposition to build an ice palace
and hold winter carnival here met
with little announcements at first. Many
of our oldest and best citizens smiled to
see one or two men in it ''old enough to
know better" but the work went on.
| The first st. Paul ice palace was built;
clubs were formed, and the town began
to wake up to the fact that there was
something in it." Its effect upon bust
ness became speedily apparent. The
few who tried Ito throw cold water on
an ice palace found it did not affect it
at all seriously, and by and by those
before cold and indifferent found them
selves thawing out and as much pleased
and interested as the rest. One old gem
tleman, who had sneered at the whole
scheme, when he saw our streets alive
with bright costumes and full of cheer
full sights and sounds, exclaimed: "Were
there ever before seen in st. Paul so
many bright and happy faces?"
The first, and one of the best effects
on business, was to furnish employment
to hundreds of the unemployed. The
ground had TO be prepared, the ice cut
and hauled, the palace built and the
park inclosed. Then, too, the club suits
had to be made, and all who could sew
or knit were busily employed. yet una
BILE, soon enough, to supply the new de-
mand.
The dealers in sleighs and the harness
makers were at once obliged to make or
order more and finer supplies; the tin
ners had their men all at work Oh torches
and lanterns; the furrierS did more bus
mess than ever before; the liverymen
could hardly furnish teams enough, and
when the carnival was at its height the
hotels and boarding houses were full to
overfiowing. From all parts of the
Northwest visitors and customers came
III to see the show, and every one brought
some trade or money into the city. The
banks had larger deposits and the Re
lief society had fewer applicants for aid.
Instead of the dullest season of the year,
carnival time became the busiest and
brightest. and it is safe to say that there
is rot man, woman or child in ST. Paul
who has not been directly or indirectly
benefited by its ice palaces and carnivals
of 1856 and 1887.
But perhaps the greatest effect
upon the business and prosperity of our
city has been through the widespread
advertising of its attractions and adj
vantages. In every part of the United
States, in almost every country in Eu-
rope the name of st, Paul and the fame
of its ice palace and carnival have been
heralded. No other city has been so
fully, so pleasantly or so well advertised
during the last two years as our own.
Our real estate dealers have not been
at all slow in turning this interest in
our city to good account; and the
BOOM" if it can so be called, where
property valued far too low comes rap
idly up to somewhere near its true level
in price, dates from the first ice palace
and winter carnival.
In matter of health and happiness the
general beneficial effect of these seasons
of active winter outdoor sports can
hardly be oyerestimated. To those
properly clad and protected. exercise in
the open air at 100 or even 20o below
zero has no terrors or dangers, and the
introduction and use of snowshoes, to-
boggans, etc. has not only caused a vast
increase in winter business, but has
furnished new sources of amusement
and recreation to thousands.
When Lent was approaching last
spring young lady was asked what
sacrifice she had made in view of the
season. 81 have given up tobogganing,"
was the reply-a great but necessary
sacrifice, no doubt, when made.
The time for these palace carnivals,
coming as it does in midwinter, divides
most happily our longest and most try
ing season, making it the brightest,
most attractive and busiest part of the
year.
will it pay, or has it paid? AS regards
our winter carnival do not hesitate to
say it has paid hundredfold for all the
time. thought, labor and money ex-
pended upon it, and having had it st.
Paul would be lonely without it.
Whether we have other ice palaces and
winter carniyalS or not, st. Paul win
ter can never again be the same cold
and colorless season it was before our
new departure.
Na~u4A. -XN7ux